


Angels

by Tangent101



Series: A New Beginning [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwell Academy (Life is Strange), Classes will be like in high school, F/F, Max and Chloe meet early, Rachel is Missing, Slow Burn, Some things may differ though, Start Of The School Year, There's two dorms and the rooms are a lot smaller., Things have changed, Why Dontnod didn't intelligently research schools and dorms I'll never know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25584547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangent101/pseuds/Tangent101
Summary: Max Caulfield is moving into her dorm room when she stumbles across a girl who helps her move in and convinces her to do something she'd been dreading....
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price
Series: A New Beginning [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854292
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

"Here, let me catch the door for you!"

I looked up gratefully at the dark-haired girl who held the door to the dorms open to me. I squeezed past, trying hard not to nick her with the box full of pictures and other mementos of home. Even so, I snagged her jacket with the corner of the box, and started to stammer an apology. "I-- I'm sorry, I didn--"

She graced me with a truly beautiful smile and took the box with one hand to help me in and I felt a lump in my throat as she smiled at me. "Don't worry about it," she said with a low and soft voice. "Careful now, there are some steps ahead of you. Here, I'll warn you," she said, letting me catch the outer door with me shoulder as she started walking backward while continuing to hold the box. My face flushed and I looked down at the box as it shifted under us. "Okay, step up now...."

Somehow she kept me from stumbling on the steps. Maybe I was learning? I'd tripped over them on my first trip when my dad helped me bring most of my things in from the car. I wish they'd stuck around longer but it's a half day's driving to Arcadia Bay from Seattle. They wanted to get home before it got too dark out.

"This your first time in Arcadia Bay?"

I glanced up and the girl dazzled me with her brilliant smile once again while guiding me through the door to my floor. Thankfully someone had kicked a wedge under the door so it remained open for us. "No, I used to live here, five years back. My parents moved to Seattle when... for a job." I ducked my head to gaze at the closed box once more. She didn't need to hear about my parents losing their jobs and the house. It was none of her business anyway.

She paused at the cubby leading to the bathroom and I spied a glance at her. She was glaring at a blonde girl with a pixie cut even shorter than her own hair. The blonde girl was talking to two others who hung off her every word. My helper shook her head and glanced back at me, her face calm once more. Had I imagined her irritation? "Where are we headed, anyway?

"You know, I can do this, you don't have to help!"

She shrugged, her left eye twinkling. Her right eye didn't catch the light as well, it was a discolored pale blue that failed to reflect the light like her bright blue left eye. I blushed as I was caught in her gaze. "I've helped you this far, it's no problem.

"I-- okay, it's the last door on the right," I said and we continued down the hallway. "Wait! My right!" I called out as I saw her crane her head over her right shoulder counting doors, and she nodded gratefully to me. We reached the door and she reached down, popping it open with ease, before turning into the room. And then everything fell apart as she stumbled over the edge of my suitcase, the box tumbling from our grasp. "Whoa!"

The box flapped open as it fell but thankfully remained upright as it hit the floor, only a few pictures fluttering out. Chloe looked up at me wearing a pirate hat while my younger self sported an eye-patch while grinning up at me. The girl reached down and gathered the pictures on the ground. She smiled at the picture of me and Chloe.

"Cute picture," she said, not caring that she'd just tripped over the suitcase I _stupidly_ left out for just anyone to trip over. Like me. I'd probably be picking up _all_ of my pictures from the floor if it'd just been me.

"I'm so sorry! I should have pushed that in further! This is my fault..." I apologized, but the girl shook her head and graced me with a smaller smile this time, though my heart still fluttered at it. _What's wrong with me, anyway?_

"Don't worry about it, I trip over my own two feet all the time. So, who is she?" she asked while handing the pictures back to me.

I glanced down at the top picture and found myself smiling wistfully. "This is Chloe Price. She's my captain and best friend. I came back to Arcadia Bay to see her again." I paused, my face burning. _Why'd I say that? I'm just boring her with this bullshit._

Her sigh drew my attention back to her. She looked sad, looking away from me for once. "That must be nice, being able to reconnect with old friends," she said and glanced back up at me. "I'm surprised she's not here helping you though."

"Oh. I-- I haven't... she doesn't know I'm back yet. I was-- I was going to surprise her. We-- we've not talked in years and... I don't know..." I looked away.

I glanced back at her as she put her hand on my shoulder. I'd not realized it, but I was a half foot taller than her. It was weird being the tall one; all of my friends were bigger than me. "You know, there's no time like the present. Why don't you visit her right now? Invite her up here to decorate. She'd probably love that."

"Um..." I stared dumbfounded at the girl. See Chloe _now_? I'd wanted to settle in first, not just be some dumb shy geek. I wanted... I... I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was going to procrastinate. Put it off. Because I was scared.

It must have showed on my face. "The longer you wait, the harder it'll get. I bet she'll be truly overjoyed if she knows the _very_ first thing you did, even before unpacking, was visit her and ask her to help you out. To set things up. Try it."

I took another deep breath and let it out. "Easier said than done," I muttered.

The girl giggled then and said "Well, you _could_ just procrastinate until she stumbles across you and is mad at you for not getting in touch with her sooner. I really think Chloe would be happy to see you now, Max. So why not?"

 _Why not? Maybe it's easy for her but... wait._ "How do you know my name?"

"You mentioned it when you tripped into me earlier. You were carrying your suitcase, remember?"

I didn't remember. But that's not surprising. "I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. I've already forgotten your name."

"You can call me Angel. Guardian or otherwise, depending on your actions," she added with a wink and then tugged me forward. "Come on, let's get you to your friend before you talk yourself out of it. Trust me, it's better to get these things done sooner rather than later."

And that's now I found myself rushed out of my dorm to see my best friend I've not talked to in five years... not since her dad had died... with a guardian angel by my side.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High School is a time of learning new things and new experiences... but Max Caulfield never expected one of these would be having some girl she'd just met ten minutes before teaching her how to ride a motorcycle! But her new friend insisted and maybe Chloe would be impressed....

_What have I gotten myself into?_

When Angel had offered me a ride, I'd not thought twice about accepting it. I was aware that seniors could apply for parking permits, so obviously some students had their own cars. But I should have guessed, what with her leather jacket and boots, and asking me to put on a denim jacket. I was soooo in over my head.

Angel held out a metallic black motorcycle helmet to me while standing next to a dark purple-and-chrome motorcycle. I felt like an alien dropped into a strange new world. My expression must have been clearly visible as her bright smile faltered and she looked over at her... vehicle. I took the opportunity to glance away and heard the school bus pulling away from the front of Blackwell, where it was making its initial rounds.

"I-- I thought you had a car. I've never... I mean, we can take the bus? Chloe's house isn't far from the stop," I said. I knew I sounded like a complete and utter loser. But not only had I never been on a motorcycle before, I'd not ridden a _bicycle_ in years. We'd been forced to leave my bicycle behind when we moved to Seattle. We had a difficult enough time making ends meet... not to mention when we moved into the apartment, there wasn't anyplace safe to store a bike. I was just going to fall off and make a fool of myself.

Angel chuckled and I glanced back at her. Her gaze was toward the front of Blackwell where the bus would have been if we'd caught it in time. "You know? I swore ages ago never to step foot in another school bus if I could help it. The seats all have old gum stuck under them, and the floors are tacky with spilled soda and worse. I'm half afraid that I'll stick to the floor and won't be able to escape," she said and she turned her gaze at me, a small smile still lurking on her face. "You know, you might actually _enjoy_ yourself. Why not give it a try? I promise you'll be okay." She again offered the helmet to me in her left hand.

There was no getting out of this, was there? I took the helmet into my hands and slowly turned it over. I could see other people, both students and parents, walking through the parking lot with suitcases and boxes, headed toward the dorms. Even though classes start tomorrow, most people waited until the last minute before coming to Blackwell. I suppose most people didn't want to spend all their time in school, even an awesome one like Blackwell.

Angel was already strapping her helmet on under her chin, a pair of darkened glasses sat on the motorcycle seat. Unlike my unadorned helmet, hers was stylized with tears and other patterns... _my_ helmet? I shook my head. _How'd she talk me into this? I was going to get killed on this thing, I was going to die and never see Chloe..._ I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

A gentle hand on my own led me to open my eyes and I stared into Angel's mismatched blue eyes. "Max, I've been riding for years. I promise I'll..." Angel rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know what? I promise I'll go _under_ the speed limit. You'll be fine! Besides, think of how Chloe will react seeing her best friend riding on a motorcycle? I'm willing to bet she'll be jealous."

I sighed and put the helmet on. Angel helped me tighten the chin strap so the helmet was snug on my head. Unlike Angel's helmet, mine had a visor covering the eyes and did cover my ears... Chloe was going to laugh at me. _She's going to all me a poser, say I'm trying to act cool. I don't know what I'm doing... no. Angel knows that. I should trust her._ I took a deep breath, let it out, and then asked "What do I do?"

Angel's smile threatened to dazzle once again, and she drew me close to the motorcycle. "Seeing this is your first time on your bike, you need to learn how to get on and off of it. Fortunately, it's not like I'm riding a Harley or anything. I need something that doesn't need climbing gear to get onto," she said with a wink. She pulled down a couple of pegs on the motorcycle. “When you’re riding behind me, keep your feet on these footpegs at all times, and keep both of your hands on my waist. Don’t grab my shoulders or anything else. Wear these gloves, and tuck your shoelaces in, you don’t want them flapping around and getting tangled in anything. And avoid touching the exhaust pipes, they'll get really hot! Most importantly, hold on and move with me. We won’t die, I promise.”

I shook my head as she rattled off detail after detail, wondering desperately how I was going to remember it all. Wait. Laces. I shoved the loops of my shoe laces into the sides of my sneakers as Angel searched one of the side bags and pulled out a pair of leather gloves. She tossed them to me and I fumbled them, picking them up off the ground as she pulled out a second set for herself. "My ex-girlfriend used to ride with me. She doesn't have a bike of her own and is headed to the East Coast so... we can keep you safe."

"Ex-girlfriend?" The question slipped out before I could stop myself and I clenched my jaw shut before I could embarrass myself further. Oh, I couldn't ask something _intelligent_ like how gloves would keep me safe. No, I had to fixate on the ex-girlfriend. Idiot.

"Does that surprise you?" Angel asked, humor coloring her tone of voice. "She was very cute and a fantastic kisser. She's also brilliant and helped keep me grounded. She's off to college this year," she said. Her voice turned wistful as she added "I'll probably never see her again."

"I'm sorry," I started to say, but Angel just waved off my apology.

"No worries! If you offend me, I'll let you know. Okay, there's just a few more things to go over, and we'll do a practice ride around the parking lot to help you get acclimated." The glasses concealed her eyes, but Angel seemed genuine in not being upset by my nosiness. I'd gotten in trouble with other schoolmates in the past. I'd even managed to piss off Kristen back in Seattle when I snuck a peek at her diary, and she _never_ gets angry. It took several days before Fernando calmed her down enough to accept my apology.

Angel was pulling her gloves on and I followed suit. The fingers of the gloves were probably an inch or more too long for my ring and little fingers. I always suffered that curse. Come winter, gloves would swim on my hands and only one or two fingers would fit. Angel touched my arm and I glanced up at her. "Okay, a couple last things. If you need me to stop? Tap me once on the left shoulder. Tap twice if it's urgent. And I figure you know what thumbs up and down mean?" I nodded and she dazzled me again with her smile.

"You know, we'd _be_ there by now if we'd taken the bus?" I snarked, and Angel laughed. "Maybe. But you'll be arriving in _style_ Max!" she said, gesturing wide with both arms. "Now, shall we go for a quick ride around the parking lot, and make sure you're okay? And if I think of anything else I'll tell you."

I took a deep breath and then nodded, and Angel helped me onto the motorcycle. She inserted a key and turned it until lights turned on, and fiddled with a couple of levers. Finally she hit some switch on the handlebars and turned them or something until the engine cranked up. It was quieter than I expected, though the motorcycle's vibrations still shook me. "All set?" she called back to me, and I gave her a thumbs up before taking a deep breath and grabbing her waist. Here we go....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I'd only intended on Angels being one chapter, but whimsy struck in the form of Max Caulfield clinging to the waist of her new friend on the back of a motorcycle leading up to meeting Chloe once more. While we don't reach Chloe at this time (and the next story will shift perspectives to Chloe), I realized it's not exactly easy to jump on the back of a bike and head off into the sunset! Hell, it's not even easy on the back of a scooter or moped! So this led to a chapter with Max learning the ins and outs of riding a motorcycle. Well, some of them at least. I didn't want to bore everyone with more details, but Angel's making sure Max is staying safe on the back of her bike. 
> 
> The bike Angel's riding is a 2010 Honda Shadow Spirit. And yes, I know that half helmets aren't the safest. Angel prefers being able to hear clearly and wouldn't take any chances when riding with a passenger. 
> 
> One other thing that I hinted at is that Max's parents aren't well off. In the game itself Max talks about getting her clothes at thrift shops and how her scholarship **might** let her parents get her a new laptop... and the laptop we see Max with is a small cheap system. They moved in the middle of the Great Recession after all. I know people like to have Chloe having been "worse off" but some folk have kind of implied Max is nearly as wealthy as Victoria and that isn't the case. I mean, when you have Max nosing around in Victoria's room, Max comments that a pair of stockings (likely genuine silk) in Victoria's closet cost more than Max's entire wardrobe... meaning Max's dozen or so outfits probably cost under $100 in all. She may be exaggerating for effect but... not by much.
> 
> Special thanks to @grey_wolfe over on the Megatokyo art Twitch stream for advice to give to first-time passengers. My flatmate hasn't gotten back in touch with me so if he has anything to say, I'll edit it further and mention it in here.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this moment of whimsy and another glimpse into my OC's backstory even as Max continues down the path to reuniting with her best friend. Take care!

**Author's Note:**

> I know that Max calls her father "Pop" in texts (and he calls himself that as well) but that just... no. Just no. Maybe she'll call him Pop in texts, but when thinking about her father? Nope! I'll consider it my canon discontinuity. Not that I think _most_ fanficcers have Max call him Pop....
> 
> \--------
> 
> One thing I've speculated on for some time now is "how would things have changed if Max had contacted Chloe right when she first came to Arcadia Bay?" And while I've seen a couple fanfics along those lines, often they have Chloe angry at being "abandoned" by Max... but failed to consider this: _how much of Chloe's anger and acting out is a result of her being fed a date-rape drug by Nathan?_ The loss of control and autonomy... it's horrifying. But on September 2nd, Chloe hasn't yet gone drinking and run across Nathan. She's not likely in debt to Frank yet for three thousand dollars of truck repairs. It is very much a different time. 
> 
> So maybe all that was needed was a little _push_ to get a certain anxiety-ridden procrastinator to go out the door...
> 
> This is the first of several short stories I have planned for this timeline. Enjoy!
> 
> \---------
> 
> Special thanks to @that_one_internet_lover for proofreading and giving me her thoughts. :)


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